Recommand me a fixed blade

J

jzmtl

Joined
Jul 29, 2007
Messages
434
I'm looking for something cheap that I can use on hiking/camping trips. It needs to be <$50, 5~7" blade, and avaliable on newgrahams.com or some place that ship to canada via USPS.

Right now I'm looking at buck 119, Ka-bar USMC, and Ontario SP2. Are there any other decent ones under $50?

Another concern is how well does carbon steel blade fare against rust in outdoors? I mean if I were to cut something, or peel an apple with it, I can't obvisouly just rinse it under a tap and oil it.
 
All the knives you mention would make good outdoors companions, get the one that tickles your fancy the most.

As for carbon steel, I've been using it exclusively outdoors for about 20 years and have had no real problems.

You do have to take care of it a bit more. I keep a oiled rag in a shoe polish tin in my pack and wipe down my blade periodicly. Once the blade develops a dark patina, you really dont have much to worry about.
 
Pretty hard to beat the old Kabar in that category in my opinion. There was a Schrade 153UH in the for sale section , it might still be there for $20. I have akways thought that was a pretty decent knife for the money as long as you stick with the original US made ones.
 
Hey, Tolly, that's a killer avatar. :D

jzmtl, carbon steel isn't all that hard to care for in the field. shotgunner11's suggestion is neat. I think I'm going to go for that myself, a scrap of old t-shirt soaked in food-grade mineral oil, and you can even use that on food.

If you want something more commercial, Tuff-Cloth is great, and Marine Tuff-Cloth for particularly harsh environments.

But just wiping it down will take care of it to a good extent. I tend to strop all my blades on my pants leg after I use them to get the gunk off. Then you can clean and oil it more carefully in camp that night.
 
If anyone has trouble finding "food grade" mineral oil; just purchase mineral oil from a pharmacy; it is used for constipation, to be taken orally so obviously it is consumable. Don't worry, rubbing some on the blade, shouldn't give you the "trots" as it takes more than what tiny bit you might consume from cutting food in the field.
 
If you're looking for something extremely heavy duty and at an exceptional price, I recommend the Smith & Wesson H.S. Tanto, at an unbeatable price at Smoky Mountain Knife Works...$29.99. I know there are a lot of folks who don't have a whole lot of use for S&W knives. I'm not fond of some of their folders myself; however, this knife is a very large strong knife at a great price.

Naturally, if given a choice between a good Ka-Bar or a Boker and the S&W, I'd go for the former if the price of all three was the same. Smoky Mountain also carries the Boker Armed Forces Tanto, for about $45. Both the S&W and the Boker are made of 440C stainless and both have very good edge holding, outstanding for the price.

The S&W is very heavy duty and comes with a camo titanium-finished blade, ballistic nylon sheath and sharpening diamond pad. It instantly gives the blade a sharp edge (with just a few swacks). If you want something even cheaper, and still pretty good, get a Cold Steel G.I. Tanto. That goes for about $23 and comes with a fairly crummy sheath. It's full carbon steel, though.

If you want a good, heavy duty pig sticker, the Smith is it. I haven't found it for $30 anywhere else, so the price is right.

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The S&W, Boker, and Cold Steel.
 
Its not the length you've mentioned, but you for a general camp knife you simply can't go wrong with the Mora 2000 -the Swedish survival knife. It has a tough, fairly wide 4.5" stainless blade and only costs $30.

If you really want a longer blade, then take a look at the Mora #731 (carbon-$14.50) or #748 (stainless-$17) knives. I really like the handles on these knives. These are not choppers, but are great camp knives.

All these are at http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

If you want a good chopper, then you may need to spend a bit more than $50.
 
For a good chopper that's not overly expensive, why not try a Ka-Bar Large Heavy Bowie? You can get one at 50 $ exactly, and it's a very tough knife indeed.
 
Consider a Böker Arbolito fixed blade.
Nice compact designs, 440 stainless and well-worked sheath too.
Carbon is very OK ONCE it gets the patina but getting there does take time, so stick to stainless for now is my advice.
 
My vote is for the classic Kabar USMC. The design is what sets it apart from the other 5-7" 'be all' options in your price range. Here's what I like about it.
- Balance: it is perfectly balanced right on the blade guard. Perfect balance means several important things: it feels much lighter, turns and moves easily with your hand just like good kitchen knives do and it makes the 7" feel like a shorter blade designed for smaller, more delicate work. Don't overlook balance.
- Handle: rough and grippy enough for dry and wet conditions, the thick groves ground into the leather discs help move mud/material away from the handle surface when it's wet out.
- Blade Shape: Clip point > Tanto point for bushcraft. Hone the shoulders off the flat ground bevel along the blade's upper curve to get it down to <=30deg and you'll have yourself a skinner's blade surface.
- Blade Design: Thick spine can take all the beating/batoning you care to do with it "just in case" :P The blade length is also long enough to accept differentially sharpened zones - eg: razor's edge for the clip point and toothier edge for the straight length for chopping/slicing
- Heat Treat: Kabar has been making their successful designs consistently for a very very long time. They have their process down pat. You won't get a lemon, but don't buy one of their folders, they suck.
- Steel: 1095 isn't really a compromise in the bush. I've seen custom knife makers sell their hunting knives and large bowies for over $300 and they STILL use 1095. Patinas or 1 basic oil rag are easy options if you even care to maintain it but steady use will maintain it for you.

HOWEVER, if you don't need an all around camping/hiking knife just get one of the Mora's mentioned earlier. They are much lighter, cheaper and hold up really well for their intended use. If you loose it no biggie because they're so cheap!

just my $.02 (sorry for the length)
 
Go to Wally World... get a Buck 119 (They are blister packed now!) - the best $33.84 + s/t you can spend on a camp knife. Great 420HC steel - good edge, heft, grip, etc - and functional Kydex (?) holster. Made in the USA, too.

For a smaller version, consider the Vanguard series - the rubber handled one is ~$50 - with wood/brass/S30V ('Alaskan Guide' - Cabela's only), it'll max at $90. Heck, even a 110 folder is a hard act to follow!

Stainz
 
Something different? Consider Queen's Premium Hunters. Bit smaller than you asked but good choice of handles/blades D2 steel and 39 dollars from Cumberland knifeworks.
 
jzmtl said:
Another concern is how well does carbon steel blade fare against rust in outdoors? I mean if I were to cut something, or peel an apple with it, I can't obvisouly just rinse it under a tap and oil it.
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That's why you're better off with a smaller blade made of stainless. The Mora, which has been recommended, won't fit your other stated needs, but it will add a smaller, lightweight blade to cover those smaller chores. Using a huge fixed blade for peeling an apple or a pear is ill advised.

For hiking/camping trips, I would skip the tanto blades.
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I can't imagine why. It's more a matter of what one likes. There are many who don't care for the tanto's looks, but I do like its flat bottom cutting edge and its double point configuration. Others prefer blades with belly, such as the more traditional Bowie style. These allow smoother sweeping strokes; however, the tanto blade's lower point is angled in such a way that it often results in a deep and gaping slash that can be a bit more pronounced than that made with a rounded blade.

Depending on blade shape, the tanto does not penetrate as well in stabbing type thrusts; however, if the blade is too rounded, the tanto can have "the edge" in such thrusts. Personally, I like both; and all things being equal, I'd take the Ka-Bar Marine. The S&W, however, does have the extra weight that would make it suitable for brush clearing, chopping and prying. True, these are not generally well suited for a knife, but in the middle of nowhere, and with nothing else, I'd prefer a knife that could be used as part machete, part hatchet, and a lot knife.
 
Confederate, the $30 S&W you linked dosen't have a "add to cart" button, but all others do, so I think they either made a mistake on price and took it down, or already out of stock. I will have my stainless folders with me for sure, so I guess peeling apple isn't the best example for what to use fixed blade for.

Looks like the deciding factor would be what size would work best, the ontario is only 5.5", but the kabar is 7", not sure if I really need something that big for simple camping/hiking.
 
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